Law enforcement agencies including police departments, the FBI, the ATF, and the like have frequently used undercover officers in various operations. Undercover officers in such operations were frequently armed but have been otherwise unrecognizable as members of any law enforcement organization. In many cases, detectives and undercover officers have worn plain clothes to blend in with surrounding civilian populations, which may include off duty officers and legally armed civilians. At other times, the plain clothes attire of undercover officers has evolved into disguises to blend in with the various criminal elements. Such undercover officers have at times had to go into deep cover, playing the role of a member of a criminal organization. While the roles of law enforcement officers have always been dangerous, the roles of undercover officers have been particularly dangerous. In one respect, undercover officers have always had to worry about being identified by criminal suspects as law enforcement personnel. In another respect, however, undercover officers have had to worry about not being identified as law enforcement personnel by other law enforcement personnel during an attempted apprehension of nearby suspects. Misidentification in either respect have lead to the death or serious injury of law enforcement personnel.
In order to identify non-uniformed law enforcement personnel, various identification methods have been developed. Unfortunately, each of the prior methods have suffered from a number of serious shortcomings. In one example, undercover law enforcement personnel have, at the appropriate time, donned windbreakers having the identity of their law enforcement organization displayed on the rear panel of the windbreaker. For example, such jackets have been routinely used by organizations that include the FBI and ATF. However, it has been less than convenient for undercover agents to carry around a windbreaker. Windbreakers have presented a bulk that can only be carried within backpacks or other large containment devices that have proved inappropriate for an undercover officer to carry around. Moreover, law enforcement personnel have had to frequently use both of their hands to adequately don their identification windbreaker. It has proven difficult, if not impossible, to hold a pistol or other weapon directed toward a suspect while putting on an identification windbreaker.
In another example, some prior art jackets and vests have provided law enforcement identification on front and rear panels of the jackets and vests, which have had flaps that temporarily covered the identification. In these instances, the flap was typically placed in a concealing position over the identification until the law enforcement personnel was ready to identify their association with the law enforcement organization. At the appropriate time, the law enforcement personnel simply moved the concealing flap to a revealing position. Such identification systems have also proven to be highly impractical because undercover or plain clothes law enforcement personnel have not been adequately disguised when wearing such jackets and vests. While concealment flaps have covered the law enforcement organization identification, the concealment flaps have not left the design of the jacket or vest with a common, street clothes appearance. Furthermore, such jackets and vests have also suffered from their bulk, not being capable of concealment in a confined space. To be sure, such jackets and vests have had to be carried in backpacks, the trunks of cars, and the like. This has posed logistical concerns that render such jackets and vests undesirable for use by plain clothes and undercover law enforcement personnel.
In certain instances, plain clothes and undercover law enforcement personnel have used hats that display the identity of a law enforcement organization, or clipped a badge to a belt or article of clothing that would readily display the badge. Such identification devices are smaller than jackets or vests and easier to conceal. However, their size has also worked against their effectiveness. During a confrontation between law enforcement personnel and one or more suspects, events have frequently transpired too quickly for law enforcement personnel to positively identify other law enforcement personnel simply because they are wearing a particular hat or a badge. To be sure, these are not only objects that are relatively small in size but cannot be simultaneously seen from both the front and back of an individual. Moreover, such devices have not proven to be readily visible in low light conditions. Commonly, law enforcement personnel have engaged suspects during low light conditions and needed to be clearly identified to other law enforcement personnel. Simple mistakes during such conditions have resulted in serious injuries and death of valuable law enforcement personnel.